The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has found that most burglary victims do not have their serial numbers logged. This makes it very difficult to recover stolen property and even more difficult to prosecute a suspect. Operation Identification was established to help recover stolen valuables and property.

Participants of Operation ID will log serial numbers and engrave their Florida Driver’s License number on their valuables. If you do not have a FL Driver’s License and are over 18 years of age, any Florida Driver’s License Issuing Station can issue a Department of Motor Vehicles I.D. card. Or you can contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Section to request a “FLO” number. Do NOT mark valuables with your Social Security number. Federal regulations governing the identity of Social Security registrants make the numbers next to impossible to trace. Also, displaying your Social Security number can put you at risk for Identity Theft.

Valuables that cannot be marked, such as antiques, silver, china, coins, jewelry, etc., should be color photographed with a complete description of the article on the back of the photograph. These photographs and your log sheet should be kept in a safe place and used for identification purposes in the event of theft.

Please contact the Crime Prevention Section at 863-298-6677, for additional information on Operation ID and other crime prevention programs.